Prius Envy

My neighborhood, affluent and socially conscious, has become a Prius parking lot. People around here were early adopters of hybrid technology and by now it's very common to see hybrids everywhere. From the beginning, Prius owners raved about their new cars. "I love never going to the gas station anymore!" was one of the hyperbolic claims.
There are debates in the financial/business sector whether the premium is worth it when buying a hybrid. For some there are tax benefits to consider, but I think these arguments miss the point. What hybrids offer is an investment in minimizing one's ecological footprint. If you can afford it, it's a great thing to do for yourself, and also you are serving as a role model and helping to create demand for mass production of fuel efficient cars. In fact that is exactly what has happened. Now Toyota is advertising Priuses. We put a deposit in on one - back then there was an 18-month wait, no doubt adding to the car's cachet - but in the end we decided against a new car at all.
Priuses, while incredibly fuel-efficient, are actually very large cars. I mostly need a car for just myself, having passed the carpool and family outing stage, so I am waiting for the teensy Smart Cars to come to Mt. Airy, maybe an electric car. But I have noted what folks love about their Priuses. Some of it is practical. They are roomy and well-designed, with peppy engines. It's fun when the engine stops when you stop, giving the driver an immediate feeling of making a positive contribution to the environment. (And distracting you from the fact that you're driving....) Even more gratifying is the MPG gauge which continually feeds back, instantly training you to drive even more efficiently. This Virtue Meter is a fun challenge. Prius owners swap pointers on how to improve their mileage. The read-out also keeps you company, patting you on the back, telling you how environmentally responsible you are. It is possible to install such a gauge in a conventional car, but since what it would feed back to is so depressing, such as the 16 mpg on my Subaru, it would be a negative reinforcer, so this idea hasn't caught on.
People like the Prius no-key electronic entry system, though a few friends warn that if you lose the key, the results are very, very expensive. 

The major reason I decided against a new, more efficient car is that while I would like all to see that I am not a Gas-Guzzling Global Warming Emitter driving around in my mini-van, I have instead focused on driving less. I keep a daily log on a Google document and hope this year to come in under 2500 miles, nicely lower than the average American's 12,000 miles a year. I work at home, a major mileage lowering fact, but in addition I have relocated many of my goods and services to walking distance in the neighborhood: doctor, haircuts, bank, coffee place, and of course Coop. Having no children to tote around is another major contributer to independence from driving. I bike a bit, walk a lot, take mass transit, and carpool, each of which cuts out a few miles of driving. It's tempting to mooch rides, allowing my own numbers to stay low, so I try to make sure I also offer rides.

And of course even if the miles are driven, with passengers they are driven more efficiently, and I might add, more pleasantly.
I am tickled that hybrids have taken off, but do remember that while it is better to drive a hybrid than a conventional car, it is even better to get your car off the road. Keep a daily log of your miles driven and many of the benefits of a fairly costly hybrid are yours, and the planet's, for free.